Environment

In a part of the world where trees haven't done too well in recent decades, Laos is notable for its remarkably intact biodiversity. It's an aspect of the country that is being recognised by some as a potentially lucrative natural resource. In 2006, tourism was one of the Lao PDR's largest foreign income earners, and estimates suggest that about half of that money is from visitors who came in large part to experience this natural beauty .However, it's not all sweetness and light. The environment in Laos has long benefited from the country's small population, which has exerted relatively little pressure on the ecosystem. But with a growing population of poor, for whom wildlife equates to protein, those pressures are rising quickly. Add to that the ongoing problems of illegal logging and a renewed desire to sell its rivers to foreign hydropower developers, and Laos might yet miss the rare opportunity it has with such an intact environment. We can only hope not.